


Poverty Without Potatoes

by Busted



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, more characters will be added as more chapters come out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:42:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Busted/pseuds/Busted
Summary: A rather unfortunate event unfolds onto Sayoand she goes on a journey to find her own solution to a problem that many people have.
Relationships: Hazawa Tsugumi/Hikawa Sayo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Hazawa-san's girlfriend is broke

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways, my current playstyle in Animal Crossing pretty much means I can't do anything for the first few days. I'm slowly growing hyacinths! I have three blue ones so far, and I need more so I can start making purple hyacinths!
> 
> Blue, purple, and white hyacinths looked so good together when I saw some pictures of real hyacinths online.

With my hands on the doorknob, my palms turn cold. A feeling I was all too familiar with. What comes next is the squeaking sound as I turn the doorknob and the chime when I enter. One foot is in, and all these actions and noises lead to my favorite sound.

The voice of my girlfriend.

"Welcome to Hazawa Coffee!"

Hazawa-san closes her eyes and smiles at me while bouncing her body. 

I've heard her say that phrase hundreds of times. I could listen to it for hundreds of thousands, even millions of times, and still never get tired of it. While I'd like to explain why it's so charming to me, I'd rather save that analysis for another time. 

After all, gay disaster Sayo Hikawa doesn't fit me, right?

Don't fool yourselves, of course it doesn't. This is the story of how I, the guitarist of Roselia, became a writer.

Okay, ignore the fact that my cheeks are red right now.

After exchanging smiles with Hazawa-san, I meet her at the cash register. The blush on our cheeks is still there. 

"Sayo-san, what would you like today? Coffee? Tea? or something else?"

My girlfriend blends in a wink, and oh my god, its the cutest thing ever. Stay in character, Sayo. Don't move your body closer to Hazawa-san. 

I adjust my view towards her forehead, and with a deep breath, I calm down.

"Hazawa-san, I'd like a Matcha Latte. And I'd also like something else. Fufu."

"Got it, Sayo-san. That'll be 400 yen!"

It's the voice of an angel allowing me to pay tribute to the heavens. 

"Hazawa-san, here you go."

Our hands share the debit card for a moment. With how many times it has been swiped at Hazawa Coffee, the card might as well belong to the cafe.

"Hehe, thanks, Sayo-san!"

Sometimes I use Roselia's songs as a reference to time, and this time, I use our latest song, FIRE BIRD. It's past the first chorus, and my thoughts are filled with our harmonious la-la-las. Please don't think of this as strange. I just want to practice our songs as much as I can.

Something was wrong, the payment process should not take this long.

Like a squirrel looking at an acorn tree, Tsugumi's face is still glued to the monitor. 

"Is something wrong, Hazawa-san?"

She readjusts her head, so she's looking at me, and there is a blank expression on her face. In her neutral state, she blinks twice at me, and my heart leaves my body for a moment. Yes, something was definitely wrong.

I've spent so much time with her that I knew it's an action I never want to see. The first time Hazawa-san blinked twice at me was when she got received food poisoning from a cafe. The most recent was when she lost her phone in the park. 

Witnessing it is enough to send my entire body into high alert mode. I resisted every fiber in my body, as my conscience sent me signals to hop over the counter and embrace my girlfriend. 

Hazawa-san flashes her head back towards the monitor, and then again at me. Like adding some whipped cream to hot coffee, her expression lightens, and she smiles at me. The pressure on my body lifts a bit.

"Ah, there was a technical issue before, but everything is fine now. Your Matcha Latte will be ready soon, Sayo-san."

When she said "fine," there was a slight hiccup and tremble in her voice that I would not have noticed if she didn't double blink earlier. Internally yelling at myself for my powerlessness, I force a smile on my face.

"Thank you, Hazawa-san."

I make my way over to the usual spot, a table for two by the windows. After placing my phone on the table, I switch between looking outside and scrolling through my social media feed. My mind is still on what happened during payment. I can't focus on what's happening outside or with the people I care about. The few people who have strolled by, what people uploaded on Instagram and Twitter, almost everything is forgotten. 

The only thing I remember is Minato-san posting about Guitar Hero. It's strange. Minato-san is not the kind of person to comment about a video game.

The thought is a flash of lightning before returning to the rainstorm. A downpour of doubt above my long teal hair. What happened at the cash register, Hazawa-san?

I find myself turning my head over toward the direction of my girlfriend. She's holding the drink at the base of the cup, and she exchanges a nod with her mother. To be the subject of nonverbal communication between my girlfriend and her mother makes me feel proud of myself. 

My eyes follow her movements as she walks toward my, no... our table. 

"Here you go, Sayo-san! One Matcha Latte."

She leans forward and offers me the drink by extending her arm and opening her hand. The drink balances in her palm, and I grip the bottom section of the cup. When I do so, her fingers come up and contact the back of my hand. With her hand still moist, she slides her fingers down my hand and releases it.

"And"

She sits across from me.

"Something else, hehe."

Not saying anything else, we stare into each other's pupils, but Hazawa-san breaks the silence.

"Um, Sayo-san. Actually, I have something I need to tell you."

I press my back against the chair, and I feel a strange sour sensation in my mouth. My own soul suffocates me, and sipping half of the Matcha Latte relieves some of the pain. I've watched and read so much content online about relationships, so I had a bad feeling about where this was going.

The feeling of holding my girlfriend's hands for the last time is not one that I wanted to experience.

"I have no easy way of telling you this, Sayo-san, but..."

No, don't break up with me. I know I'm flawed, but I promise I'll be a better girlfriend from now on.

"You're broke."

I echo her last words.

"Broke?"

As Hazawa-san begins her explanation, my hand is already gripping my phone.

"Yes, when I swiped your card, it was declined because of insufficient funds. So, I waived the fee, and counted the latte as a reward for the ten stamps bonus."

My jaw drops, and with my fingerprint tapping the sensor on my phone, I witnessed the ugly truth.

I, Sayo Hikawa, the girlfriend of Hazawa-san, was indeed out of money. 

20 yen in my bank account. I couldn't even afford one french fry with that money. Still holding onto my phone, I wonder what being broke meant. 

I'm lost in thought, but Hazawa-san pulls me back.

"And, Sayo-san, as your girlfriend, I feel somewhat responsible for your financial struggles. All those times you've paid for my food. I should have been the one who offered to pay."

Setting my phone back on the table, I move my chair over to the one person who can comfort me. I place the side of my head on the third-best pillow in the universe, Hazawa-san's shoulders.

"Sayo-san?"

"Hazawa-san, I would overdraft my bank account if it meant making you happy. Please don't blame yourself for something I did to myself. Ever since we performed Neo-Aspect for the first time, Roselia's bond strengthened. We became five petals on the same blue rose. I didn't want to let go of that feeling of oneness, so the intensity of my guitar practice increased. I started buying replacement strings more frequently. There are also all those microtransactions in Neo Fantasy Online. Last week, I bought a Corgi pet, and she has this cute green scarf with the word, Hero, on it. Not to mention, some of the costume designs sometimes rival Shirokane-san's creative vision, and I can't help but buy them. This year's inflation rate also played a huge role in my increased spending. Due to the unawareness of my financial situation, I could not make changes in my lifestyle that reflect it. It's entirely my fault."

Letting out my thoughts in front of Hazawa-san painted the terrible truth. With all these changes in my life, I had an unsustainable lifestyle. It was only a matter of time before it caught up to me. I was so deep in regret and self-criticism that I didn't even notice my girlfriend resting her nose on my hair.

"Your hair smells like orange blossom, Sayo-san."

The pressure on my head lightens, and she sweeps my hair behind my left ear. 

"I'll do my best to figure something out for you. Oh! What if you worked part-time here? It can even be for an hour a week."

Her breath touches my ears, and I turn my head so she couldn't see the color of my face. It started half a year ago, but Hazawa-san has been getting quite bold. No matter how many heart attacks I'll get from her romantic advancements, I'll accept all of them. 

But I couldn't accept her job offer. I indeed needed some extra money, but I couldn't take a job that was handed to me for free.

"I'll think about it." 

After calming down, I return to a normal position, and I look at Hazawa-san. 

"What if we stop eating out for a while. We'd still be in a relationship, just without the whole going to restaurants together thing. If you want, we could make food together and go on picnics in the park!"

I imagined what it was like to go on a picnic date with her. Thinking of Hazawa-san sitting on a picnic blanket with the fresh spring breeze behind her makes me excited. And of course, I'd do my best this time to make sure she won't lose her phone.

Have any of you been on a picnic date before? Is it okay to lie down together on the blanket and eat food while embracing each other? 

More thoughts and questions popped up in my mind, but thanks to Hazawa-san's thoughtfulness and kindness, I had something to look forward to. I wanted to wash away the look of uncertainty on her face. 

"I'd love that very much, Hazawa-san."

The look of doubt on her face is gone, and with a smile, she hands me the forgotten Matcha Latte.

"You should finish your drink or take it with you to Roselia's practice. And uh, did you change your guitar strings recently?"

I nod at her.

"I'll bring the drink with me to practice. It should help a lot when my concentration level lowers. And yes, I changed my guitar strings last week, so I should be fine."

As the words left my mouth, I felt uneasy. Lying to my girlfriend was something I avoided, but I didn't want Hazawa-san to overwhelm herself thinking of solutions to my financial problems. I was planning on replacing my strings tomorrow morning after tonight's practice with Roselia and solo practice at home. A wad of guilt emerges in my throat, and I take a sip of Matcha Latte to suppress it. 

"That's wonderful, Sayo-san. Shred your guitar."

I can't do anything but nod again. 

Our hands touch, and we stand up together. 

"I'll keep in touch through text messaging, oh, and if the situation becomes really stressful, you can call me too!"

"I'm so lucky that I have such a wonderful and caring girlfriend."

We walk towards the door, and my least favorite part of visiting my girlfriend at Hazawa Coffee starts. The warm sensation of Hazawa-san's hand is replaced by the cold metal doorknob. The light gust of wind as I open the door and expose myself to the cold night. One foot is out the door, and I hear her words of departure.

"Do your best at practice, Sayo-san!"

I wanted to tell Hazawa-san that my guitar strings were not okay. I wanted to tell her everything, especially how I was too afraid to play my guitar at practice. I turn around and take one last look at her.

"Yes, I will, Hazawa-san."

On my way to practice, I thought of how Minato-san was going to shred me.


	2. Who Puts Carrots Inside Curry?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sayo big sad from no money
> 
> her bad day continues at home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nanami Hiromachi

One of my rules is to play guitar every day.

Ever since I bought my guitar, I'd play it for a few hours a day. I'd tune it; then, I'd do stretches, finger warm-ups, chord exercises, and rhythm exercises before grinding Roselia's songs. I'd grind until the details were as grainy as the beans in Hazawa-san's coffee. 

At practice today, I played my guitar for half a second, if skimming the string with a guitar pick can be considered playing. After some concerns from Roselia, I walked home and laid on my bed.

Staring at my ceiling, I filled the blank canvas with music notes. With a dry voice, I hummed. My bed squeaks as I turned, and I determine every note in the squeaking sequence.

Yeah, that's definitely an E-sharp into a D into an A-flat.

I settled into a neutral position, and the back of my head pressed against my pillow. The notes start fading, and my view of the ceiling drowns in a wave of darkness.

When I reopen my eyes, I'm in the practice room with Roselia, and I'm holding my guitar. The scene is familiar, almost identical to practice a few hours ago.

The rest of Roselia is around me. All of them are focused on their instruments, and Minato-san spoke.

"FIRE BIRD" 

I dug into the metal strings, and I felt a pinching in the back of my head.

Minato-san started singing, and Shirokane-san's keyboard accompanied her voice. 

I look at Imai-san who is staring at Minato-san. Imai-san's lips curled into a smile that wrinkles her eyes. 

Then, I look at my playing hand and nod when I see that my fingers are positioned correctly. I increase the grip strength on my pick. The precise stabbing sensation from earlier reemerged, yet the music continued.

Sometimes, the briefest moments in my life feel like an eternity.

The last minute of school before summer vacation.

The brief kiss before departing with Hazawa-san.

The resonance of the last note of the final song during a live show.

And for me right now, the few seconds it takes before Minato-san stops singing and questions what I'm doing.

Then, it happened like thunder on a drizzling day.

*Fly to the sky, Fire Bird.*

All of my friends sang, but I choked on my words.

Minato-san continued with her quote, and lightning struck.

She paused, and so did everybody else. They stared at me, and I dropped my guitar pick. When it landed on the carpet, the sound of shattering glass ringed in my eardrums.

"Sayo, why are you playing like Guitar Hero?" asked Minato-san.

Guitar Hero... 

In Roselia, compliments and criticisms are both earned. On days I played well, my friends would make sure to let me know. On days that I played poorly, they'd be concerned. The feedback is often the same between them. The one exception is Udagawa-san, who has a unique vocabulary. 

Today is a rare day where Minato-san's question could only be asked by her. 

If any of my other bandmates compared me to Guitar Hero, I'd take it as a compliment. Udagawa-san and Shirokane-san play games at a high level, and Imai-san is also quite competent at them. But, Minato-san's skill in anything that isn't singing is concerning. 

Minato-san would light a guitar on fire before producing a sound with it.

But what could I tell her? What could I say to the rest of Roselia? I'm sure none of them understood the struggle of poverty. 

Shirokane-san is fine financially with her two monitors and her gaming computer. Udagawa-san has a triple monitor setup, a superb audio system, and a supportive sister. Imai-san works at a convenience store and therefore has some disposable income. The only one I had no clue about was Minato-san. But, ignoring the fact that she can't afford dentures, she didn't seem to have money problems.

The four of them were doing much better with their money than I was.

"Yukina, you've been hanging out with Kasumi and Ran at the arcade lately, haven't you?"

"Not really. Mitake-san suggested playing Guitar Hero after I kept scoring a few points higher than her in karaoke."

"Woah?! Yukina senpai, you played Guitar Hero? How was it, how did you do? Did you shred with the dark powers of uh-...."

"Belial?"

"Yes! Belial!"

"No, I couldn't hit a single note. For some reason, I kept pausing the game."

Minato-san, you noob. Not a single note, huh? 

My mind dampened the conversation in the background. I looked at my guitar pick on the floor, hoping that it would give me an answer. 

"Yukina, why don't we let Sayo go home for today. Something is going on, and it's affecting her playing."

I let out a sigh of relief. Imai-san, thank you for saving me for the thousandth time. 

"You're right. Sayo, go home and rest. I expect the Sayo from Roselia to show up at practice tomorrow."

I nodded at my friends.

"I'm sorry for causing such an inconvenience today."

Before closing the bag, I stared at my guitar. I let out a short sigh, and as I tugged the zipper, my eyes moistened. 

Taking the route, I always went home on sours my stomach. 

The reason I'm walking on the path remains the same, but how I got here is different. For me, the part that leads to an end of the day is just as important as the end.

For the last two years, going back home after Roselia's practice became a habit. Practicing with Roselia became part of my walk back home because I was too accustomed to it.

Today, I found myself on a familiar yet unfamiliar road because I couldn't fulfill the activity that brought me here.

Still, I knew the way by heart and eventually found my house.

I opened the door and expected to hear a loud "ONEE-CHAN!"

My heart skipped a few beats when I see Roselia. 

We stared at each other, and I saw their confused faces.

Minato-san opened her mouth, and sharp daggers stabbed my throat. I didn't hear what she wanted to say, because I woke up and started coughing. 

I let out three coughs that vibrate my ribs. Responding to the pain, I crossed my arms around my body. I found myself staring at my ceiling again, only this time, tears stream down my face, and I couldn't see any musical notes. My heart punched against my bones, begging to be free.

The insecurities buried deep inside my heart came back to haunt me. 

My insecurities come from being twins with a genius who overshadowed everything I did. Most of the time, it resulted in me losing confidence in myself. In the worst cases, it made me lose motivation in myself. 

Sometimes, I didn't see the point in doing anything when a carbon copy of me could do a much better job. I was a prototype of a better person. Everything about me was a lie, and my effort was a waste of time.

Or, that's how I approached my life a few years ago. 

Thanks to everything that happened to me in the past two years, those negative thoughts no longer controlled me. But, every time my heartbeat, the box storing these feelings broke down a little. 

The thoughts were resurfacing. I placed my head on my knees and shivered. 

Thoughts of being in Hina's shadow.

Thoughts of being removed from Roselia.

Thoughts of Hazawa-san breaking up with me.

One more move would break me.

"Ittoryu! Raijin's Descent!"

My sister yelled.

A strange sound of something digging into wood came after Hina's battle cry. It was weird enough that I rolled out of bed and opened my door.

My heart sinks, and the edges of my mouth pull down when I see Hina. Unlike every other time she's standing in front of my room, her eyes aren't sparkling. She has a robot-like gaze, and the unnatural look distracts me for a while before I notice the weapon in her hand.

She's holding a katana. 

I dug my nails into my flesh to confirm I'm no longer dreaming.

"Hina, what did you do?"

Her head dropped, and with her eyes looking at the floor, she shakes her head.

"Sorry, Onee-chan, I really messed up this time."

When she lifted her face back up, her mouth shifts between a frown and a smile. She raised her hands, and with her trembling index finger, Hina pointed at my door.

I turned my head until I see the top of my ruined door with the corner of my right eye. My entire body twisted, and I stared at the incised line across my door.

There's a slight ringing in the back of my head and my eyeballs pulse. Of course its Hina. Of course, she's the one who delivered the critical hit to this day. 

"Onee-chan? Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you mad at me?"

_Of course I'm mad. I'm just scared of what might happen if I acted on my anger._

I heard a soft thud, and in place of the door, Hina is there. She leans down and looks at my face. Her body rose, and now inches away, she squinted at me. The distance between her brows and eyes closed, and her forehead wrinkled, showing several lines.

The person in front of me no longer looked like Hina. Her sparkling eyes and bright personality are gone, and in their place is confusion and regret. 

My last strings of consciousness tugged my brain and forced me to give her an answer. 

"I just woke up from a nap, so I don't have the energy to deal with what you just did, Hina."

I wanted to slam a hole into the wall with my head. Hina knew my schedule and my habits.

Rule Two of Sayo Hikawa- Never take naps unless I'm sick. Taking naps means I'm not practicing guitar or doing something else productive.

"Eh?! YOU took a NAP?"

Hina placed her hands on my arms and started shaking me.

"Who are you?" What did you do with my Onee-chan?"

She yanked my body, forcing my back to crack several times.

"Unless you're sick, there's no way you'd be taking a nap."

I couldn't handle it anymore.

"Hina, stop. STOP!!"

My sister let go, and I held onto my head. The entire area tilted, and I leaned against the wall.

"When I visited Hazawa-san's wonderful cafe, I learned that I only have 20 yen left in my bank account. With that little money, I cannot purchase the new strings that I was planning on buying tomorrow. The rest should be self-explanatory. "

"I don't care if you have no money, Onee-chan!"

I frowned, there had to be something complex behind what she just said.

"Mm, you're still a member of Roselia, right? And Tsugu-chan is still your girlfriend, right? I'm pretty sure they don't care either. You not having money is concerning, but they're not gonna cut ties with you because of it. Your money is your money, but Onee-chan is still Onee-chan without her money."

I rolled my eyes and nodded my head.

Putting the nightmare aside, Roselia was concerned about me earlier. So was Hazawa-san. I still feel guilty about how they were all so worried about my well-being. Hazawa-san already knows about it, but I remembered how Roselia handled past situations. Whenever something concerning happened to a Roselia member, the other four members will travel to the end of the world to help them.

As I wandered in my thoughts, I heard the voice of my mom. 

"Sayo-chan! Hina-chan! Dinner is ready~."

Hina looked at me.

"Hey, Onee-chan, after dinner, you can borrow my guitar if you want."

"Sure."

My terrible day continued when I smelled curry, and when I sat across my parents, my frown sank even deeper. No one noticed. They were all too busy munching on their curry.

Eating curry was like entering a minefield. Yes, chicken and poteto were both alright, but the carrots. Ugh, everybody knows I hate carrots, and the carrots I hate the most are hidden inside good food. Who hides disgusting carrots underneath delicious curry sauce? 

My parents. 

I spent most of my time pushing the sauce down, making it easier to detect the carrots. Before I'm done with the last few carrots, my mom started talking. 

"Hina, you have a photoshoot next Thursday, right? Is everything alright with you and Pastel Palettes? We ordered some of your most recent bromides and can badges! You look super cute in that new dress."

"Yeah! Everything is super boppin!"

"That's great. And uh, Sayo. How are things with your band, uh... Rosel... Roselily? You have a live next Sunday, right?"

"It's Roselia, and we're doing great. Just ... great. And our live is next F-"

I placed my spoon down and stood up.

"I'm... I'm not that hungry today. I'm gonna go back to my room."

Every day, dinner time reminded me that Hina is the chosen one. My parents loved me, but they adored Hina. 

Before my mind spiraled out of control, there was a loud knock on my door.

"Onee-chan, here's my guitar!"

"Hina, eating too fast can cause weight issues."

"Mm... it's alright. You were all droopy at dinner, so I had to finish quickly. Also, I have super boppin' metabolism."

I've already played it a few times, but the sound on Hina's guitar still throws me off. The strings sound sharper, and it takes me a while to adjust. I also take some time to readjust my hand positioning on the fretboard. I played until 12:00 AM when my parents went to sleep. Then I played again after unplugging Hina's guitar from my amplifier. Every time the guitar pick pierced through the strings, it felt like a feather was added to my back. I played until I flew, but stopped when I soared too close to the sun.

When I stopped playing, it was 2:00 AM. The perfect time to clarify what happened during practice to Roselia.

Sayo- Hello, is anyone here?  
Lisa- Sayo? It's 2:00 AM. Did something happen?  
Ako- Foolish mortals. Night time is the domain of the demon princess, Ako! The dusk empowers my uh-  
Rinko- Dark powers?  
Ako- Yes! My dark powers.  
Sayo- And Minato-san? Is she still awake?  
Lisa- Lemme check ^^  
Lisa- Yes, she's still awake. If I had to guess, she's writing a new song.  
Sayo- I see.  
Sayo- The reason why I left practice early today was that I ran out of money. I was planning on buying new strings, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed to bring it up during practice today.  
Lisa- So that's what it was. No worries, Sayo. I'll buy new strings for you.  
Sayo- Many thanks, Imai-san. I'll make sure to return the favor when I no longer have money issues.  
Rinko- Hikawa-san, would you like to play NFO with Ako and me?  
Sayo- Shirokane-san, it's 2:10 AM. Is there an event going on?  
Ako- Right now, there's a 2x drop event in Apocalyptic Familiar (Abyss).  
Sayo- Alright, give me a few minutes to log in. 

Halfway through the dungeon, I started regretting my decision. Maybe playing NFO at 2:00 AM after hours of guitar practice wasn't the best idea. It didn't help that we were running the Abyss version of a dungeon without a healer. There was so much pressure on me to perform at a peak level, but somehow we managed to clear the dungeon.

I slumped on my chair and took off my headphones. Even so, I could still hear Udagawa-san's loud cheers.

As I logged out, Shirokane-san texted me.

Rinko- Uh, Hikawa-san, Ako, and I were thinking, and we might have a solution for your financial problems. How do you feel about selling tank runs in NFO?

Sayo- Tank runs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we should throw carrots at cops.
> 
> on the part where she's walking home
> 
> its kinda like
> 
> if you go to the same school but every year your schedule changes
> 
> then your class locations change
> 
> its like the same school but its different
> 
> if that makes sense

**Author's Note:**

> She cannot even afford one french fry.
> 
> On a side note, I got a new chair! idk if I already said it before but hoooooooo boy this chair is absolutely banana splits. I can sit in it for hours without experiencing any pain
> 
> of course I still get up and walk around every hour
> 
> but my previous chair would discomfort me like every five minutes.
> 
> ***
> 
> We want to create meaningful connections with each other, but fail to do so because we're afraid of hurting ourselves or hurting the people we care about.


End file.
